WD external drive spins then stops

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by richdio, May 19, 2009.

  1. richdio

    richdio Private First Class

    hi,
    when external drive connected, computer will see the drive, then in 'my comp' cant see the drive, but computer knows the drive is there... if that makes sence!! the drive spins for about 1-2 mins then stops?
    been into device manager comp says there, but cant open, got all my daughters music etc on drive, any help thanks.

    is the fault with the external drive ?

    op system xp,

    Rich...................................
     
  2. collinsl

    collinsl MajorGeek

    Hello,
    Do you feel you have the technical knowledge to remove the drive from the external enclosure and plug it into the PC? If so, do it and report back to us.
     
  3. richdio

    richdio Private First Class

    Hi,
    never done that before but will try, any tricks as to how to do that ?
    once the enclosure is of what then ? is it a easy job to get of ? ie a couple of screws or is it a bit fiddly, the drive is not with me till next week just a call of help from my daughter, she thinks she has lost all her music etc...
    thanks for the reply. do these usualy go wrong ! western digital 80gb external drive.
    could it be the power sauce from the comp ? cant check that till try on another comp ( next week ).
    anyway thanks for any help you can give,
    Rich................................
     
  4. collinsl

    collinsl MajorGeek

    Sorry, I almost forgot, an easier step is to right-click on "my computer" and choose "manage". Then in the window that opens click on "disk management" to the left of the window. This should open a table with a list of disks in it. The question at the moment is, can you see the external hard drive in this list?
     
  5. hrlow2

    hrlow2 MajorGeek

    Have you tried plugging into another port? Possible some are defective.
     
  6. richdio

    richdio Private First Class

    hi,
    yes tried dif usb, comp can find it when selecting 'safley remove etc' so the comp does no its there ? thats whats odd ? if the drive ins't spinning then how can the comp find it ? auto play dosn't start when its conected either.
    once again in devise manager discs etc says WD !! but doesn't open ?
    thanks for the help
    Rich..........................
     
  7. richdio

    richdio Private First Class


    hi,
    says (C:) and RECOVERY but not anything about the hard drive ??
    thanks any clue to what next ??
    RIch.............

    still spins for about 1-2 mins then just stops, must be the hard drive then??
    any clue to why it starts then just stops, has it had its day ?
    thanks again........
     
  8. collinsl

    collinsl MajorGeek

    External hard drive cases generally shut the drive down when it detects that it is not plugged into a computer. Therefore, I would assume that the external hard drive adapter is faulty.

    The next step is to put the drive into a working computer. Have a look at these articles and see if you think you can manage it: http://www.ehow.com/how_2098180_external-hard-drive-its-case.html and http://www.helpwithpcs.com/upgrading/install-hard-drive.htm
     
  9. richdio

    richdio Private First Class

    Hi,
    Thanks for the links, once iv opened it then what ? what do i have to check ?
    what do i have to do from there ?
    would be able to open it, what would i need to look for ?
    thanks
    Rich................................
     
  10. collinsl

    collinsl MajorGeek

    Sorry, I should have been clearer. The first link details removing the hard drive from the case, and the second link details installing it in the computer.
     
  11. richdio

    richdio Private First Class

    Hi,
    the disc in question is a 2 1/2 portable drive, only have laptops no tower!! so even if i take the case off what then, check for what, sorry to keep on but need the data from drive (i'l be a hero) daughters music photos etc,
    thanks
    Rich.............
     
  12. richdio

    richdio Private First Class

    Hi,
    Just been told by WD that the laptop power might not be enough !!!
    so they are going to send me a CABLE ? dont no where to put that as its a passport type only a usb con.....?? il have to wait and see.....
    thanks all
    Rich....................
     
  13. fairjoeblue

    fairjoeblue Private E-2

    I had a external USB drive that came with a cable that had 2 USB connectors because a single USB port didn't supply enough power !
     
  14. richdio

    richdio Private First Class

    HI,
    Thanks for the reply, Do you no if you can just buy these over the counter ?
    Rich.............
     
  15. fairjoeblue

    fairjoeblue Private E-2

    I don't know if computer shops sell enough to make it worth while stocking them.
    If WD is sending you a cable just be patient !
     
  16. richdio

    richdio Private First Class

    Hi,
    Just taken it apart !! tryed it on a tower system (local shop) just the same?
    starts to spin then just stops ? they say def broke, new one !!
    what about data recovery is this expensive, just the drive is nearly full (80GB) with my daughters music etc on. havnt looked into this yet and can the data be recovered ?
    thanks ......
     
  17. fairjoeblue

    fairjoeblue Private E-2

    If the drive won't spin there is no way of a home user getting the files off of the disk.
    There are co's that have the equipment to rescue data from a dead drive but that is usually pretty expensive !
     
  18. richdio

    richdio Private First Class

    The drive does start to spin but then just stops on me for some reason, I think thats why the comp can see it ! then when i go into 'my comp' its not there, any other ideas to why or how or is it a lost case, is it time to go to the big grave yard in the sky for hard drives :).........thanks
     
  19. fairjoeblue

    fairjoeblue Private E-2

    I understand wanting to get what's on the HD.
    The simple fact is it's BROKE.
    Starting to spin & stopping isn't going to allow you to get the data off of it.

    You have 1 shot at getting it to work long enough to get the stuff

    Put the drive in a baggie.
    Wrap it tight in it
    Put the baggies in the freezer
    On the computer open My Document & make a new folder
    Minimize the folder to the taskbar
    Wait about a hour , remove the drive from the freezer , hook it up & see if it will open in My Computer
    If it opens at the top click Edit
    Click Select all
    Ckick efit again
    click copy
    Pull up the new folder that was minimized & right click Edit
    Click Paste

    If the drive works when you hook it up DON'T take time to look around or try & pick & choose.
    Copy/paste all while it's working because it won't work long & you'll probably only get 1 chance.

    If that doesn't work simply accept that the drive is bad.
    Next time have the songs copied to disks so if a HD fails you don't lose them.

    [Getting the drive cold reduces clearances & will sometimes allow a drive to spin until it warms up , which only take a minute due to friction & heat from electricity]
     
    Last edited: Jul 1, 2009
  20. richdio

    richdio Private First Class

    will try ! in the freeeeeezer now, will post what happens fingers crossed,
    thanks once again....
     
  21. fairjoeblue

    fairjoeblue Private E-2

    You're welcome.

    If the freezer trick doesn't work you can forget getting anything off of the drive unless you send it to a company that specializes in retreaving data from dead hard drives & pay BIG $ to have it done.
     
  22. richdio

    richdio Private First Class

    Didnt work ! comp did find it and said drive ready to use, but went into 'comp' not there, so its to the scrap heap in the sky, thanks for your help
    Rich....................
     
  23. fairjoeblue

    fairjoeblue Private E-2

    It was worth a try.
    The drive was just too far gone to last long enough to rescue the muzak. :(
     
  24. Bugballou

    Bugballou MajorGeek

    Have heard the freezer works on occasion, but not for me the few times I've tried it. Imagine you tried to run a check disk on it.
    http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315265
    If it was improperly removed that might be a solution.
    Purchased another external HDD recently (WD My Book Home Edition 1TB), use it as a backup for the backup...:-D
     
  25. satrow

    satrow Major Geek Extraordinaire

    There are very few times when the freezer trick is useful as a means of data recovery BUT, it's worked for me on each of the 2 occasions I used it (sandwiched between cool-box chiller blocks whilst connected). The 2nd time was for a drive with a bad controller board, one of the chips was overheating at normal temperatures, when cooled sufficiently, it allowed just enough time to drag over the important files.

    Another 'trick' that used to work was replacing the damaged controller board with one from an identical working drive. Recently, I've heard that this may rarely be of any use with modern hard drive technology, even if both drives/controller boards are of exactly the same revision. I've not tested this method on a modern drive above 40 Gb so I really don't know what the chances of success might be (if your problem is a faulty controller board, obviously).
     

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